October 27, 2016

Go!

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. ~Matthew 9:35-37

Everywhere that Jesus went, he was teaching, healing, feeding and asking questions of people in order to get to know them better. By this method he gained thousands of followers, many of whom went back to their towns and witnessed to others about what they had seen and heard. This is God's plan for spreading the Good News about the Kingdom and making disciples.

There are many beautiful churches in the world. I was lucky enough to stand in awe inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. It is easy to convey the majesty of God in such a place. I have also enjoyed the comfort of a 1000+ seat mega church with cushiony seats and a world class audio-visual system. Westminster Cathedral in Baltimore has a painted pipe organ that fills the entire side of the building. These places are impressive and awe-inspiring and surely in their time have brought glory to God. But for disciple making, God's plan is more simple. “Remember these commands and cherish them. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working." Deuteronomy 11:18-19. Making disciples is all about relationship. Helping someone, showing kindness, listening to them, asking questions, talking about your own faith, living out your faith in your decisions day after day...these are the methods that soften a heart so that the seed of faith can be planted. For sure it is the Holy Spirit that will fertilize that seed and make it grow, but God calls us to scatter the seed.

My illustration depicts a passport and well-traveled suitcase, but you can be a missionary making disciples anywhere and everywhere. Five minutes of the nightly news will attest to how broken a world we live in, and how much the love of Jesus is needed by so many. People everywhere need love, compassion and the Truth of God's unimaginable love and mercy. You carry a precious, life saving message with you everywhere you go, whether it's to work, the grocery store, volunteering, Sunday School, a mission trip or a family get-together. So get going!

So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” ~Matthew 28:19-20